Only Two Countries Can Still Claim Antarctica
CGP Grey · 4:01
http://www.cgpgrey.com ## Photos: Alan Light ## Special Thanks: Charles Anderson Daniela Liggett R. K. Headland, Dr. Corine Wood-Donnelly ## My Patrons: Patricio Fons, Mark Govea, Wenhao Nie, Thomas J Miller Jr MD, Ahmed , Colin Millions, Muhammad Shifaz, Danny Z, Joe Pantry, Duhilio Patiño, Benjamin Morrison, Jordan Melville, Mike Lanier, Martin , Steven Grimm, Alistair Forbes, Lou Rivellini, Tom Maher, Richard Jenkins, Chris Chapin, Avi Yashchin, Danny Lunianga Xavier, Jeremy Peng, Splendide , ChoiceMechanicalDenver.com , سليمان العقل, Andres Villacres, Phil Gardner, Nevin Spoljaric, Tony DiLascio, Robert Kunz, Ripta Pasay, Tod Kurt, Daniel Slater, Sean Maguire, Faust Fairbrook, Jason Lewandowski, Michael Mrozek, Jordan LeDoux, John Buchan, Kozo Ota, Christian Cooper, Chris Woodall, Michael Little, Chang Wang, Saki Comandao, rictic , Ian , PervertedThomas , Ron Bowes, Tómas Árni Jónasson, Mikko , Derek Bonner, Derek Jackson, Jim , Sokhom Chhim, Orbit_Junkie , Eren Polat, Mark Elders, Veronica Peshterianu, Ernesto Jimenez, Paul Tomblin, Travis Wichert, Andrew Bailey, Keng , Alex Morales, Ryan E Manning, Linh , Erik Parasiuk, Rhys Parry, Arian Flores, Jennifer Richardson, Maarten van der Blij, Rustam Anvarov, Sam Kokin, Kevin Anderson, Gustavo Jimenez, Thomas Petersen, Kyle Bloom, Osric Lord-Williams, David , Ryan Nielsen, Esteban Santana Santana, Dag Viggo Lokøen, Tristan Watts-Willis, Ian N Riopel, John Rogers, Edward Adams, Ryan , Kevin , Leon , Alexander Kosenkov, Maxime Zielony, ken mcfarlane, AUFFRAY Clement, Caswal Parker, Brandon Callender, Pierre Perrott, Ilan , Timothy Moran, Peter Lomax, Emil , Lachlan Holmes , John Bevan, Elizabeth Keathley, John Lee, Tijmen van Dien, ShiroiYami , Owen Degen, Alex Schuldberg, Ryan Constantin, Bear , Jacob Ostling, John Waltmans, Solon Carter, Joel Wunderle, Rescla , GhostDivision , Andrew Proue, Tor Henrik Lehne, David Palomares, Cas Eliëns, Freddi Hørlyck
Summary
Antarctica has no permanent population, and although it is often described as the common heritage of humanity, several countries made overlapping territorial claims in the 19th and 20th centuries. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty—signed by the United States, the Soviet Union, and ten other countries—set aside the continent for science and nature, banning military activity, mining, and nuclear explosions while requiring strict waste removal.
The treaty did not legally cancel existing claims; it suspended the issue, leaving Antarctica in a state where claims are treated as both valid and inactive. Countries continue building bases in claimed or unclaimed areas, and the question could become more important when the mining ban is reviewed in the 2040s, especially given possible oil and major freshwater resources. For now, Antarctica remains a scientific and environmental preserve.